In search of a job to support his family, a man accepts an offer from a recruiter and signs a contract for what looks like a good job with decent wages. Once at destination, the reality is very different.

There are 232 million international migrants and 740 million internal migrants. Most are migrating in search of decent employment and a better livelihood. Migrant workers who borrow money from third parties face an increased risk of being in forced labour.

About 24.9 million people globally are victims of forced labour. Some 152 million children are in child labour, about half in its worst forms, primarily hazardous work. Alliance 8.7 is a coalition committed to accelerating and intensifying actions to tackle this problem and achieve Sustainable Development Goal Target 8.7.

Facts and figures

At any given time in 2016, an estimated 40.3 million people are in modern slavery, including 24.9 million in forced labour and 15.4 million in forced marriage.

It means there are 5.4 victims of modern slavery for every 1,000 people in the world.

1 in 4 victims of modern slavery are children.

Out of the 24.9 million people trapped in forced labour, 16 million people are exploited in the private sector such as domestic work, construction or agriculture; 4.8 million persons in forced sexual exploitation, and 4 million persons in forced labour imposed by state authorities.

Women and girls are disproportionately affected by forced labour, accounting for 99% of victims in the commercial sex industry, and 58% in other sectors

It's time to ratify the ILO's Forced Labour Protocol

The new legally-binding ILO Protocol on Forced Labour aims to strengthen global efforts towards combating forced labour, trafficking and slavery-like practices. Governments now have the opportunity to ratify the Protocol and integrate new measures at the national and regional levels to combat this crime.

Global Estimates of Modern Slavery

Forced Labour and Forced Marriage

The 2016 Global Estimates of Modern Slavery focus on two main issues: forced labour and forced marriage. The estimate of forced labour comprises forced labour in the private economy, forced sexual exploitation of adults and commercial sexual exploitation of children, and state-imposed forced labour. It is the result of a collaborative effort between the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Walk Free Foundation, in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM). They benefited from inputs provided by other UN agencies, in particular the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).